Love and War
by Number47
Summary: Jack, Irina, Sydney, and Vaughn are all sent on a mission to Hawaii, and no one's going to be the same again. Season 2, pre Getaway. Just a cute fic, a bit of fluff a bit of angst... Lots of SV & JI, so R&R!
1. Armor and Amour

**Disclaimer: I don't own Alias. **

_Love and War_

_Armor And Amour_

Door-to-door salespeople are a very unique group of human beings. To make a living, they must possess certain characteristics. Up front, they are all charm and caring. They smile and they seduce, telling you all about how much easier your life will be with their product. But underneath the fake smiles and solicitous façade, they're just in it for the cash. And once they have their foot in your door, its all over.

Jack Bristow thought Irina was pretty similar to a door-to-door salesperson. She was one of those unique people that not only have the ability to perfectly conceal their own emotions with a figurative wall, they can quickly and subtly tear down everyone else's, brick by brick. Every time he was with her, he searched and searched for a flaw in the steel defense she had permanently in place, but there were no dents, no seams, no weak points whatsoever. And no matter how hard he tried to resist, there was something about her that disarmed him, that allowed her to take complete control of the situation, the conversation, and, hell, probably even his thoughts as well. All this without him noticing until it was too late, and he was up the river without a paddle.

Taking a deep breath, he motioned to a guard standing at the first iron barred gate. He waited impatiently as the guard verified his identity and let him through. Irina was in the back of the cell, meditating. She faced him, though her eyes were closed.

Figures, he thought. Why sleep when you can meditate? He knew from the surveillance tapes that she had not once slept inside the cell. She meditated for no more than two hours a day, and spent the remainder of her time pacing the cell, stretching, or reading. And he knew it was all in an effort to psyche him out.

Irina listened as the last gate closed behind him. She knew, of course, that it was Jack, even though he had made no sound entering. She knew because she could feel him shooting daggers at her, mentally urging her to get up already. She stayed still a minute longer, just to aggravate him. Besides, if she had gotten up right away, it might seem as if she was eager to talk to him. He would feel in control, which he wasn't.

"Irina." He growled. He knew she was aware of his presence.

"Jack." She stated simply, opening her eyes to reveal two perfectly guarded, deep brown eyes. She apparently didn't care that he was there, it didn't appear to evoke any emotion in her. Actually, she was fairly happy to have someone to talk to. The cell was timeless, there were no windows to signal if it was night or day, and the guards refused to talk to her. If she didn't have such an extraordinary sense of time, she might not even know the date. As it were, she knew exactly how long she had been in the cell; three months, seven days, and she also supposed it was about seven in the morning, judging by the guard shifts. But nothing could quell the boredom and loneliness she felt in the cell, so she found herself welcoming any visitors. (In her own way, of course.)

He knew she was going to be difficult to deal with, and he didn't especially want to let her immediately command the conversation, a fate that was probably inevitable anyway, so he got straight to the point.

"About India." He paused as she arched her eyebrows, though the rest of her face remained unchanged, the faint, secretive smile still in place. "You shouldn't have said that on the plane."

"I shouldn't have said what?" She asked mildly, rising to her feet and stretching, catlike, to expose a good four inches of her midriff below her black top. She watched Jack out of the corner of her eye as his focus shifted down to her exposed skin for a split second, then quickly flicked back to her face. He glared at her for playing with him like she was.

"You know what I'm talking about," he said. How could she not? It had been a well-placed comment designed to implant ideas in Sydney's mind that should not even be thought of, much less taken to heart.

"Jack, I said many things on the plane. Now how am I supposed to know which one you are referring to? I may be better than most people are at reading emotions, but I certainly cannot read minds." She said this playfully, though there was the ever-underlying contempt and overall condescending tone that made him feel as though she were laughing at him. Fine. If she wanted him to spell it out for her, he would.

"You told Sydney that Agent Vaughn was in love with her." What she had said had been true; everyone knew that he was falling for his asset. Jack knew. Agent Weiss knew. Hell, Kendall probably knew. And Irina knew, god knows how. She had barely spent any time with either of them, much less both of them together. Everyone knew but Sydney. Nonetheless, the fact that it was true did not give Irina the right to go about matchmaking.

"Actually, I said nothing of the sort. If I remember correctly, I told her that Agent Vaughn has trouble sleeping when she is on missions." She corrected, still not bothering to respond to Jack's initial comment. She didn't want to talk about her boundaries, she wanted to talk about her daughter and Agent Vaughn. Jack realized that she was redirecting the conversation and avoiding the question, but he didn't feel like trying to get back to the point at the moment. This subject suited him fine.

"Which was, if I may add, purely speculation. As Sydney said, I seriously doubt he told you that."

"He did, actually. We had a conversation not long ago. You didn't think I helped find the cure to his disease for nothing, did you?" She said smugly, knowing he would do almost anything to know what Agent Vaughn had revealed to her. Meanwhile, Jack frowned even more, his brows knitting together. Damn. He should have known she never would have helped find the antidote without something in return.

"Always thinking of yourself, Irina." He said coldly, "I'm surprised that I seem to be the only one who thinks you have an ultimate plan, and that you're just using the CIA, not to mention your daughter, to help yourself." The moment the words left his mouth, he saw a change in her face. For a split second, her face fell, and all the layers of defense she had worked so hard to put up came crashing down, exposing, for the first time, emotion. Locking eyes with her, he saw that she was genuinely hurt by his statement; she seemed crushed somehow. But she glanced down, breaking eye contact, and when she looked back up, Irina was back in the game, her eyes as unreadable as ever. Jack was silent for a moment as he mulled over what he had seen. Had he found a chink in her armor? Normally, he'd continue to chew her out, to make her hurt, but for some reason, he didn't want to. He cleared his throat and changed the subject, somewhat abruptly. "What did he say?"

"I can't tell you." She said simply, examining her fingernails. She didn't want to let on how much his statement had stung. True, she had made a deal with Vaughn, but the information she had elicited from him she fully intended on using to help her daughter, not to help herself. What good would Vaughn's confession of love do for her? Certainly not get her out of this cell. She could have asked him a million other questions, questions that could have done her some good, but instead she chose to ask him about Sydney. Surely Jack knew this.

"If you don't tell me now, I'll just pull the tapes from the time he was sick." He pointed out, knowing he could have them at a moments notice.

"Hmmm. I believe the cameras weren't running that day. Something about repairing the internal microphinal layers. They assigned some extra guards. Funny, that." She had noticed the red light hadn't been blinking throughout her conversation with Agent Vaughn. Jack's face got even stonier. He knew that Vaughn only had the power to shut off the tapes because of his rank of Senior Handler, a rank he only had because of Sydney. She cocked her head to the right. "Why can't you just let them be happy. If you really wanted to help Sydney, you'd be prodding them, too."

"How do you know that's what Sydney wants?"

"She loves him. It's obvious; there's so much tension between them, I'm surprised they've held out this long. In fact, I'd be worried if she _wasn't _interested in Agent Vaughn." She could see that there was not only a physical attraction between the two, but also a bond that went below the surface. In Irina's opinion, Sydney couldn't do much better. And Sydney shouldn't have to settle for less.

"Love has no place in our line of work. She's risking her life as it is, she doesn't need to endanger her heart, too." Jack knew from experience; feelings could only get in the way of the goal. One of the many reasons he tried hard not to show them.

Irina focused in on Jack's eyes, pondering his latest statement. He stared straight back at her, forcing himself to keep steady eye contact with her. The moment he looked away, she knew she had it in the bag.

"You're worried she'll end up like you." She said, then watched, envisioning the crack forming in Jack's defenses. She was about to speak again, to deliver the silver bullet she knew would shatter his façade and allow her to see him unprotected and vulnerable, when the first iron gate began to slide open.

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	2. Master List

**Disclaimer: I don't own Alias. **

_Love and War  
Master List_

Kendall shiny bald head reflected the dim artificial lights that lit the cell and the hallway that bordered it.

"Jack," he barked, "Where have you been?" Jack didn't bother to point out that he did have both a pager and a cell phone, and that he could have been reached at any time. This was good, because Kendall didn't give him a chance to answer anyway. "As much as I hate to break up this little chat," he continued sarcastically, "We have a meeting now regarding new intelligence we just received." Without waiting for Jack, he glanced at Irina for a moment, then left.

Irina studied Jack while he watched Kendall's retreating back, a look of disgust apparent on his face, then met his eyes as he turned back towards her. The interruption had given Jack a chance to close up; his eyes were again hard and unforgiving. She turned away, ending the conversation, and he left a moment later, leaving Irina alone in her cell to rerun their conversation in her mind, to dissect it and use it to her advantage the next time they spoke. Each time Jack came in to see her, she got stronger, more powerful over him as she learned how to break him down. It was unfair, she knew, and she hated doing it to Jack, but it was her leverage.

And leverage was what was keeping her in the game.

In the briefing room, Sydney and Vaughn sat across from each other at the long bare table, looking at each other, each wondering why Jack was so uncharacteristically late, while Kendall had resumed his position at the head. Jack seated himself a chair away from Sydney and waited for the debrief to begin.

"Now that everyone's here," Kendall began, looking pointedly at Jack, who then felt himself wanting to roll his eyes at Kendall's apparent need to demean and overrule everyone around him. He denied himself that pleasure, though, and vented his aggravation instead by glaring at Agent Vaughn, who was still smiling at Sydney. "We can begin. An hour ago, we received information regarding a Rambaldi artifact. Referred to by his followers as "The List," the document is said to be a reliable archive of all the Rambaldi Artifacts ever created. It supposedly contains information about where each is hidden, and instructions on how to assemble them into the Rambaldi Machine. Resources were able to confirm this intel, and we also know how to find it. There's a map, hidden on the island of Moloka'i." Everyone nodded, they knew from their extensive training in geography that this was a small island in Hawaii, just northwest of the main island.

"What's the catch?" Sydney asked, getting a confused look from Kendall that prompted her to elaborate. "This is Rambaldi we're talking about. If he created a sort of master list of all the artifacts, chances are he's gone to a lot of trouble to keep it hidden.

"He did. It is hidden in a cave he's carved into the side of the _still active_ Kaupulehu Volcano." This elicited a little disbelieving smile from Sydney. The more she knew about Rambaldi, the crazier he seemed. "Your mission is to retrieve it. I've got your op-tech all worked out, plane tickets on a commercial flight that leaves in three hours, and you each have an alias all set up. Vaughn, Sydney, you are going to go in as an engaged couple trying to spend some time with Sydney's family before the wedding, with Jack as Sydney's father." Kendall paused, waiting for any questions. Sydney looked like she wanted to say something, so he focused his attention on her. "Yes, Ms. Bristow?"

"It's just, last time Rambaldi had a map, my mother helped us solve it. Without her help…" She trailed off, then looked her father straight in the eye. "I think we should take her with us." Kendall seemed to ponder this for a minute, then turned to Jack.

"Jack?" he asked. Jack shrugged, obviously not eager to make any decisions regarding his ex-wife. "I'll get another ticket. Go pack your stuff, meet back here, at Ms. Derevko's cell, in an hour and a half."

Sydney opened the door to her apartment twenty minutes later, and looked around for Francie. It was a Wednesday, Francie's one day off in the week, so Sydney would have the chance to say goodbye before she left.

"I'm in here!" Francie called from the kitchen. Sydney put down her bag and walked into the room to find Francie and Will at the kitchen table, eating lunch.

"Hi guys."

"Uh oh." Francie said. "You're home early. Really early."

"Thanks for the warm welcome!" Sydney scoffed jokingly.

"I know. I'm sorry. It's just, whenever you come home in the middle of the day, it's always because you have to pack for a bank trip." Francie said with a sad smile. "So where are you off to today?"

"Austria." Sydney said. "One of our biggest private finance clients is trying to totally reinvest his assets." She made up the lie easily, even though it hurt her to have to do it. After Danny's death, though, she found it a little bit easier, because she knew she was protecting Francie's life. Francie just shook her head sadly.

"Girl, you've got to get a better job. Those guys at the bank are trying to run your life for you." _You have no idea… _Sydney thought.

"I know. But when I get back I'll make it up to you. I know you've been wanting to go to the fair that's coming in to town…" For the past week, Francie had been dropping hints about the event.

"Would you really?" Francie asked, breaking into a huge smile. "When do you get back?"

"I'm not quite sure. There's not telling how long it's going to take to get this guy's money straightened out."

"Okay, call me when you know!" Francie said, then started clearing the dishes. Will cleared his plate and smiled knowingly at Sydney.

"You need some help packing?" He asked, wanting to know what was really going on that was drawing her away on a mission.

"Sure." Sydney replied, happy to finally be able to tell someone in her normal life the truth. They walked together to Sydney's room, and Will pulled her suitcase out from under her bed. When they were sure Francie couldn't hear them, Will started asking all the usual questions.

"Austria?" He asked, unzipping the case.

"Hawaii, actually." She replied, opening her closet and selecting the first item. "The CIA's sending me in to get another Rambaldi Artifact." She wished she could go into more detail, but Will didn't have the same clearance level she did. There was a few minutes of silence as they threw things into the suitcase.

"Is Vaughn going?" Will asked, trying to seem nonchalant.

"Yeah, he's going. So is my father, and my mother too. All of us undercover as one big happy family." She said, smiling. "My parents are going to have to act like _normal_ parents for a while."

"What's Vaughn going to be, your brother?" Will asked, fishing for more information. Will knew that Sydney wasn't interested in more than a platonic relationship with himself, but he couldn't help being jealous of her handler, who was lucky enough to be going to beautiful Hawaii with her as her fiancée.

"My fiancée, actually. We're going on a trip with my parents to get to know the family before the wedding." She said, trying not to make a big deal out of it, seeing how uncomfortable Will looked. She put yet another tank top into her bag, pressing down the stack of clothing to push the air out and make room for the pair of denim shorts she was trying to squeeze in. The rest of the suitcase they had packed with the essentials, along with a few things that might come in handy. "I think that's everything." She said, zippering the case shut. "Thanks."

"No problem."

Vaughn was the first one to enter Irina's cell. Irina was reading, but put down her book when she saw him standing on the other side of the glass.

"I wasn't expecting anyone else today." She stated, a simple sentence that required a reply. Vaughn nodded.

"I know. I heard Jack came by earlier." He replied in an almost friendly tone. It had been hard to work with Irina at first, but now he found himself wanting to like her, to trust her.

"Yes." She paused, and examining his face she could see he was curious as to the nature of Jack's visit. "He wanted to discuss something I told Sydney while we were in India." She smiled, knowing it would only peak his interest.

"What did you tell her?"

"More or less, I told her you loved her." Irina almost laughed as Vaughn's expression turned from curious to horrified as his brain registered what she had said. He had opened his mouth, about to speak, when Sydney came around the corner and came through the gated hallway to stand near Vaughn. Without even looking at his face, she could tell he was wearing an odd expression. When he turned to face her, her suspicions were confirmed as he swallowed hard and cleared his throat.

"Hey." He said, trying to remain calm. He couldn't believe that he had trusted Irina to keep her mouth shut. What had he been thinking?

Sydney looked from Vaughn's face to her mothers, shooting Irina a questioning look. Irina slowly shrugged one shoulder, her face only showing an amused tilt of the lips. Sydney swung her attention back to Vaughn.

"What? What's going on?" She questioned, narrowing her eyes at Vaughn as she tried to read deeper into his expression. But soon his green eyes were back to normal, showing none of the cloudy shock they had before.

"Nothing, um, I was just going to fill Irina in on the mission." Vaughn said, taking a deep breath.

"Mission?" Irina cut in. "Where are you going?"

"Hawaii. _We're_ going to Hawaii."

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	3. Deja Vu

**Disclaimer: I don't own Alias. **

_Love and War  
Deja Vu_

"_Hawaii. We're going to Hawaii." Sydney said, just as Jack entered the room. His eyes immediately met Irina's, holding hers for a minute before drifting to Sydney and Vaughn. When he finally looked back at Irina, Sydney and Vaughn exchanged odd glances, each confused with his strange behavior. They didn't have time to comment, however, for at that moment they were finally joined by Kendall. _

"Everyone set?" He asked, not bothering with greeting anyone. "Good. You've got a car waiting for you, use it to get to LAX for your flight. I've got a suitcase with things for Ms. Derevko in the trunk already, along with some other things you might need. Run over the mission with Derevko in the car. That's all." He pulled a set of keys from his pocket, and pressed them into Jack's hand. Then, as abruptly as he had arrived, he left.

Everyone stared at each other for a minute. Irina gazed at Jack, thoroughly unnerving him, so he tried to focus on glaring at Vaughn, who pretended not to notice. Finally Sydney spoke.

"Are we ready to go then?" Everyone nodded. Glancing at Irina, she addressed her father. "How does Kendall expect us to get her out of here?"

"I'm assuming Jack has the keys." Irina said, earning herself three pairs of raised eyebrows. "It's his nature. Of course he is going to insist on having the keys to my freedom, because freedom is the one thing he has but I do not." The sides of her mouth turned upwards ever so slightly as she locked eyes with Jack.

Jack never broke eye contact with her as he withdrew his key ring from his pocket, separating out a key card and a small, complicated steel key from the ring. Walking up to the door to the cell, he swiped the card, paused to input the security code, and inserted the key into the keyhole. A small screen lit up on the other side of the door, and when Jack placed his left hand on it, the sliding door opened.

Irina slowly stalked out of her cell, taking in a deep breath of air as she stepped out of the confining walls. Her smile became more pronounced as she exhaled, then turned to the others.

"Ready?"

They exited the building, Jack leading, Irina close behind, reveling in the fresh air, and Vaughn and Sydney tailing a few yards. Jack looked around the almost empty lot, and pressed the unlock button on the key Kendall had given him. Across the parking lot, a silver Mazda 6's lights blinked on and off.

A few moments later, Jack was opening the driver's side door and getting into the car. Sydney was about to ask if she could drive, but decided against it, knowing that he was in a weird mood already. He always insisted on driving anyway; he couldn't stand not to be in control of anything. So instead she just got into the passenger side back seat, Vaughn instantly snatching up the seat beside her, leaving Irina to sit up front with Jack.

Jack frowned. This was not how he had planned out the seating arrangements. He had supposed that Sydney would have wanted to sit up front with him, leaving Vaughn to deal with Irina. He felt a little hurt, actually, that she would rather sit with Vaughn than with her own father. It made sense that she would feel that way, being that Agent Vaughn had never wronged her, while Jack had practically abandoned her as a child.

What was so great about Agent Vaughn anyway? Jack thought as he turned the key in the ignition. Irina watched him as he backed out of the narrow parking space. As he switched gears to drive, his lips thinned when he saw Sydney and Vaughn smiling at each other in the rear view mirror. Throughout the drive to the airport, he kept turning around and glaring back at them. Sydney pretended not to notice, but Vaughn couldn't ignore the death glares being sent his way every few minutes. Irina, who had been watching the whole exchange, finally spoke up to spare Vaughn from the wrath of Jack.

"Are you going to tell me what's going on now?" She asked, wondering what had been so important as to grant her temporary freedom.

"Oh, right." Jack said, "We're going to the Kaupulehu volcano in Hawaii to find a Rambaldi artifact. We got intel that says that he hid a sort of master list of all his artifacts in a cave in the volcano."

"Where do I come into this?" Irina asked. Although she understood that obtaining the master list for the CIA would be a major victory over SD-6, she didn't see how she would help. If anything, she would assume they would want her nowhere near the artifact. Sydney answered Irina's question from the back seat.

"If there is another Rambaldi map, we're going to want to decode it as soon as possible, because who knows who else is going to be after it. You decoded the last map before our team of cryptologists could even get the first step." Irina nodded, then turned around, smiling at the road ahead. It was good to be useful.

Finally they arrived at the LAX airport, after spending the remainder of the ride getting ready for the airport. They wouldn't need costumes for this trip, so that was taken care of, but passports still needed to be passed out, as well as credit cards and other little things. Jack parked the car in the long-term parking, not knowing how long they'd be gone, and unloaded all their suitcases. Vaughn opened Sydney's door, holding a hand out to her and smiling. She took his hand, his strong, warm hand encompassing her own, and he helped her out of the car. They both knew that she was much more than capable of getting out of a car by herself, but Sydney enjoyed being pampered every once in a while, Vaughn enjoyed pampering her, and it was an excuse to touch each other without incurring another round of icy stares, courtesy of Jack.

Vaughn let go of Sydney's hand to go get their suitcases, perhaps passing a bit closer to her than he needed to. He picked up his own light bag, then found Sydney's and took that one as well. Jack lifted his pack and slung it over his shoulder, then saw Irina looking at him expectantly, obviously looking for him to follow Vaughn's example. He gave her a look that said all too clearly to forget it. She simply raised his eyebrows. Would the rich, well brought up 'Richard Ducat' be so pedestrian as to make his wife, the dainty 'Juliette' carry her own bag? Jack realized that they had a façade to keep up as the rich American tourists they were pretending to be, and reluctantly picked up her suitcase. Irina linked arms with him, much to his surprise, and the four of them headed off to the elevator that would take them up to the ground floor of the airport.

Security was a breeze, thanks to the alarm-deceiving gadgets provided by the CIA op-tech department. The few guns and tools they had brought along were safely stashed in the body of the suitcase, undetectable by sight and any machine. They were able to keep up the air of a tightly knit, rich American tourist family on their way to Hawaii despite all the underlying tension between the four of them. Irina was even able to contain her inclinations to make things as difficult as possible for Jack, only tripping him up a few times by acting to be a very possessive and very much in love wife, forcing him to play his part opposite hers in the same way.

Sydney and Vaughn had no problems pretending to be engaged. Vaughn had given her the fake engagement ring in the car ride, and she was still smiling at the memory of him slipping the beautiful ring onto her finger. Even though she knew it wasn't real, that he was just doing his job, and that he didn't feel that way about her… It still put a spring in her step and a smile on her face.

Putting the wedding ring on Irina during a red light during the car ride had been a different story. Jack had gotten it out and taken her hand without showing any emotion, but he paused with the ring just in front of her finger, not able to shake the feeling of deja-vu as he looked up at her face. The moment passed, however, and he quickly slid it onto her ring finger and looked away, not wanting to see the smirk he was sure was on her face.

Irina, however, wasn't smirking. A sad smile barely creased her features as she traced the golden band that somehow fit perfectly. It had been thirty years since she had worn a ring on that finger. After escaping from the CIA and Jack all those years ago, she had left the ring on for a month before being able to take it off and move on. She still had the ring, or rather the CIA had it now, along with all of her other possessions.

She paused, staring at the ring, then turned to the window, pretending to look out at the streets as they passed. Trying not to attract any attention from the other passengers in the car, she had quietly slid the ring off and looked around the inside of the band. She swallowed as she quickly replaced the ring.

A small engraving was on the inside of the ring. It read 'LB.' It was the same ring Jack had given her when they were married.

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	4. Tears

**Disclaimer: I don't own Alias. **

_Love and War  
Tears_

A silent tear slid down Irina's flawless cheek to land on her wrist. The CIA must have a whole drawer of confiscated wedding rings that they had taken from prisoners over the years. How ironic that they would choose this one to give to her.

Unless, she thought with a start, it hadn't just been an accident. Was Jack attempting to taunt her? Or send a message? Did he still have feelings for her?

Okay, she thought. Calm down. You're reading to far into this. It's a ring. Get over it. And with that she pushed the quickly snowballing thought to the back of her mind. It was unlike her to almost lose her composure over such a trivial thing. She chastised herself for the whole car ride, then, at the airport, occupied her mind with the task of making Jack uncomfortable.

The incident had piqued Sydney's interest, however. She had seen the whole thing; from the odd look on Jack's face as he slipped the ring on to the teardrop on Irina's hand moments later. Now, as she sat down in the plane next to Vaughn, she related what she had seen.

"Vaughn?" She asked. Vaughn was the only one in the group who didn't have an alias for this trip. Since he was relatively low profile, there was more risk in getting caught with fake passports than there was in someone recognizing him.

"Yeah?"

"Do you think my parents have been acting strange lately?" She asked, gesturing to Jack and Irina, sitting stiffly next to each other across the aisle and a few seats ahead of them.

"Are they ever anything _less_ than strange?" He laughed, getting a smile out of Sydney, or rather "Ella Ducat" her alias for the trip. "But yes, I did see the thing about the ring, if that's what you mean."

"It is. Any idea on what that's about?"

"No. I was hoping you would, actually." Sydney shook her head. A silence followed. Sydney wished she could talk about the mission ahead, but with the other passengers on the plane now, it was too dangerous. Truthfully, she was more apprehensive about this mission than any other. There were so many variables she couldn't control. Her mother, for one. God knew what her motives were. And then Jack, who couldn't be counted upon to act rationally where here Irina was concerned.

And then there was the artifact itself. If there really was an archive of the locations of every Rambaldi Artifact, surely it would be the most sought after document to date. They could run into competition from K-Directorate, Sark, or, worst of all, SD-6 or the Alliance. And what's more, three of the people she cared most about would be with her, in the same danger.

Vaughn glanced down at Sydney's hand on the armrest between them, and, as if reading her mind, gently slid his hand over hers, giving her a reassuring smile.

He knew exactly what Weiss would say, were he to witness this moment. _You're crossinsg a line, man. _Vaughn could practically hear the words inside his head. But the truth was, no matter what he said to Weiss, that he and Sydney _were _crossing a line. They both knew it; he would always see her as more than his asset, and he would always be more than her handler in her eyes. But there was nothing he could do. Every time he was near her, she seemed to turn his already-askew world upside down, and he couldn't tell if he was right side up or not.

It was this realization that, about a month ago, had spurred him to break up with Alice, this time for good. Alice could never incite these feelings in him, and they had never had the utter openness in communication that he had with Sydney. The only thing left unsaid between him and Sydney was their feelings regarding each other. No matter how many times they tried to bring the subject up, something would always interrupt them. It seemed they were doomed to live forever in anguish, both feeling, but never voicing, their thoughts.

So he had let Alice go. Gently, so as not to hurt her, but firmly enough to make it clear that the relationship was over. For good. He didn't want anyone but Sydney, and he couldn't continue to lead Alice on and pretend he loved her.

Vaughn drew out of his thoughts, and gently squeezed Sydney's hand.

Meanwhile, up in front, Irina had pulled out a makeup compact, and opened it to reveal a small mirror. Pretending to be checking her makeup in the reflection, she tilted it at an angle, aiming it towards Sydney and Vaughn, behind them. Since she had the window seat, she had to look through the crack between her seat and Jack's to see them. In the mirror, she could see Sydney's hand on the armrest, her knuckles white. Then another hand hesitantly came into view, slowly sliding over Sydney's. Immediately, the muscles in Sydney's hand relaxed, her hand returning to it's natural color . Irina smiled at the sight of Vaughn's hand encompassing her daughters, and a moment later, Sydney had turned her hand over, to twine her fingers between Vaughn's, causing Irina's smile to get bigger. She quietly closed her compact as she analyzed what she had seen. It always amazed her at how complicated things could become to some people, when an outsider looking in could see in an instant how simple things really were. It was all about perspective. Then again, what right did she have to be giving relationship advice. Hadn't her mind just been tumbling with possible explanations for the ring? Her smile faded as the thought resurfaced in her mind.

Jack, having been watching her the whole time, had instantly caught on to what she was doing, and very indiscreetly turned around in his seat to see what she had found so interesting, ignoring her abrupt tenseness. From his angle, he had a much better view of Sydney and Vaughn, one of the reasons he had taken the aisle seat in the first place.

At the sight of the two of them holding hands, his lips thinned, his face tinting red for a minute before he could recompose himself. He thought he heard Irina laugh softly, but he was too mad to respond to her. Instead, a few moments later, when Sydney got up to go to the restroom, he jumped on the opportunity and quietly stood to slide into the seat she had previously occupied, next to Vaughn.

"Agent Vaughn," he practically spat after sitting a moment. "You apparently lack the ability to pick up on the hints I have given you since the moment you met my daughter. The hints regarding your relationship with her."

"Actually, I found them quite clear." Vaughn retorted calmly, slowly raising his eyes to meet Jacks.

"Then you are obviously more stupid than I thought. I'll make it clear to you. Stay. Away. From. Sydney."

At that moment, Sydney came back from the restroom, glancing at them oddly as she walked past to sit next to Irina. Jack and Vaughn fell silent for a moment before continuing their argument in hushed voices.

"This is _not_ over." Jack hissed.

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	5. Loss for Words

**Disclaimer: I don't own Alias. **

_Love and War  
Loss for Words_

Meanwhile, two seats ahead, Irina broke the silence.

"I wouldn't want to be Agent Vaughn right about now. She said with a hint of a smile.

"He can hold his own with my dad. In fact, I'm surprised he's gotten this far without having to suffer through 'the talk'."

"This has happened before, I take it?"

"When I started dating in high school, he would scare off every guy I went out with by essentially threatening their life." Sydney laughed softly. "Well, eventually I learned that if he didn't know I _had _a boyfriend, he couldn't scare him away." Sydney paused, lost in thought, and Irina took the silence as an opportunity to reflect upon their conversation thus far. She noted with pleasure that it seemed that Jack had finally acknowledged Sydney and Vaughn's inevitable fate, and was giving Vaughn a preemptive warning. A little possessive and domineering, but still progress. She was pulled out of her thoughts by Sydney's thoughtful voice.

"In fact, I don't think that Dad even knew about Danny until he got that courtesy call."

"Danny?" Irina asked, studying Sydney's face closely. That look on her face. It seemed familiar somehow. Sydney too a deep breath before speaking again.

"He was my fiancée. Ex-fiancée." Sydney quickly corrected herself. She looked up from her hands. "You don't know?" She questioned, surprised. Irina slowly shook her head, a confused and curious look on her face, yet acutely aware to the sadness on Sydney's face

Sydney was debating whether or not to tell her mother what had happened almost a yeah and a half ago, when Jack walked up from behind her, apparently finished with Vaughn for the moment.

Sydney slowly stood up to give Jack his seat back, aware of Irina's eyes on her as she returned to her own seat beside Vaughn.

"Congratulations." She said, the sad smile on her face replaced with a genuine one. She almost laughed at Vaughn's confused face. "You have survived your first one-on-one encounter with Jack Bristow. You can now proceed to Round Two." She teased, only half joking.

"Round Two?" Vaughn groaned.

"Hey. You should be proud you've made it this far. One guy took one look at my father and left. Haven't heard from him since." Sydney said, shaking her head sadly.

"I'm not surprised." Vaughn grinned. "Your dad is scary, Syd."

God she loved it when he called her Syd. Somehow, it made her feel like she was more than a spy. Like she was a person, and not just some machine.

"Seriously, though, Vaughn, I hope he wasn't too hard on you. He can be a little…" She paused, trying to think of a word that could accurately describe Jack.

"Possessive? Domineering? Over protective? Verbally abusive?" Vaughn supplied with a grin.

"All of the above." Sydney laughed. It felt good to laugh. She slid her hand into Vaughn's again. Looking up at him, she noticed that his grin had faded into a lopsided smile, although his eyes still sparkled.

"Thank you." She said,

"For what?" He asked, almost subconsciously intertwining his fingers with hers.

"For cheering me up. I needed it."

"Anytime." He replied, gently squeezing her hand. "Yeah. You looked a little down when you came back." He hesitated, wondering whether he wanted to ask the next question. "What were you and your mother talking about, anyways?"

Vaughn regretted the words the moment they left his mouth. Sydney's face instantly fell, and she turned her face to the side.

"It was nothing." She said, trying to withdraw her hand from his, but his hand was firm around hers. He gently reached up with his other hand to touch her cheek, turning her face back towards him.

"Syd… Please. I know that you feel like you have no one to talk to, but you can't just keep all of this inside of you. Your life is too complicated for one person. And you know I'm always here to listen." Vaughn tilted her chin up so he could meet her hazel brown eyes.

"You're right… In this line of work we can't be keeping anything from each other." She said softly. "Its just… Every time I have to explain to someone about Danny and what happened… I can't help but feel guilty. I just get this feeling that I am the most horrible person in the world and then…" Tears appeared at the corners of her eyes, but Vaughn tenderly wiped them away with his hands. "And then… I can't help feeling so alone." The tears began to fall freely now, and Vaughn could no longer keep up with the rivers that were streaming down her face. Instead, he lifted the divider between their two seats, and pulled her close to him. Instinctively she clung to him, one hand on his shoulder and another around his neck.

Vaughn just held her, drawing on her back slowly as she calmed down in his arms. It just felt so right to hold her there as if they were the only two people in the universe.

"Shh Syd… Don't ever say that… You are never alone. Ever. You're the most beautiful, intelligent, virtuous, pure, and generous person I know. Don't ever say that you're alone."

"You can't mean all that, Vaughn." Sydney said into his shoulder.

"Have I ever lied to you?" He asked, wrapping his arms tight around her shoulders.

"No… but…"

"But what?"

"What about Alice?"

"Alice? I haven't seen Alice in months."

"You haven't? Why?"

"We broke up. I think she was sick of hearing about my beautiful, intelligent, virtuous, pure, and generous co-worker." Vaughn smiled. He meant it jokingly, but it was true. How could Sydney think that he could stand to have a girlfriend when he had already met the perfect woman? No woman would ever be good enough, if only because they weren't Sydney.

Sydney laughed a little, propping herself up against Vaughn's shoulder.

"I'm sorry I've thrown all this at you, Vaughn. Look at me. I've practically had a breakdown. You must think I'm so…" Sydney shrugged for the lack of a word to describe what she was feeling.

"Strong? Yes." Vaughn hesitated a moment. If he didn't say it now, he would never have the courage to again. But with Sydney here in his arms, there was no doubt in his mind. He had to say it. "Sydney… I've been wanting to say this for so long. Ever since I met you, Syd, there's been something about you. It's not one thing in particular, its all those little things you do that make you who you are. The way you always tuck that stray strand of hair behind your ear, the way your dimples come out when you smile, your eyes, your amazing ability with languages. All those little things, Syd, they're making me fall in love with you. I know I'm in love with you." Vaughn finished, anxiously awaiting Sydney's response.

A few minutes passed, but to Vaughn it seemed like days. Finally he spoke again.

"Syd?" He gently touched her shoulder. "Sydney?" He peered around to see her face. Her eyes were closed. She was asleep.

Vaughn slowly shook his head. She hadn't heard a word. But maybe it was for the best. Another day, perhaps.

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	6. Seatbelts and Sacrifice

**Hey guys. Sorry its been so long since an update. School's been killing me. Damn HSA's. **

_Love and War_

_Chapter Six (Seatbelts and Sacrifices)_

Sydney was at last stirred from her sleep by a woman's voice that was far too cheery for having spent the last couple of hours on a plane. Something about landing in about ten minutes and needing to put seatbelts back on.

Sydney remembered plane trips as a kid, and she always put up a fight when that cheery voice, not to mention all the flight attendants and fellow flyers, told her to put on the seatbelt. What was the point? It wasn't as if, when the plane was crashing into the sea and filling rapidly with water, you wanted to be strapped to the plane as it crashed. Sometimes Syd felt like that in real life too. People told her constantly all the 'right' and 'safe' things to do, but she couldn't help but feel that she was just strapping herself in, going down with the plane.

"Syd?"

"Vaughn." She replied, suddenly aware of the warm body she was pressed up against. "Yeah. I'm awake." She said, sitting up in her seat. Yawning, she looked over at Vaughn, who was busy buckling his seatbelt. Sydney smiled and fastened her own. There wasn't anyone she'd rather crash with.

Up in front, things were a different matter.

"Put on the damn seatbelt!" Jack growled at Irina, who had her arms crossed stubbornly across her chest.

"No." She said calmly. Not only was it fun to aggravate Jack, she knew from, er, research, that the plane seatbelts didn't do any good anyways. "If we don't land properly I want to be able to get out of the plane as soon as possible."

Jack studied her for a minute.

"That's why you never buckled your seatbelt in the car. When you were my wife." Jack said, setting his jaw. "So that if you had to escape. So that when you crashed into that river all those years ago, you could survive."

Irina didn't grace him with an answer.

Jack finally reached over and buckled her seatbelt for her. She wouldn't get away twice. She was in this for the long haul now, whether she liked it or not.

Sydney stepped out into the warm Hawaiian air and smiled. She saw her mother doing the same. She couldn't imagine how elated Irina must be to finally breathe fresh, warm air after being cooped up for so long. She sympathized with her in that minute, knowing how she felt, wanting something so bad, having it right there in front of her, ready for the taking, but always something holding her back. She wondered if the wait made it even better. She doubted it.

Jack and Vaughn joined them moments later. Sydney immediately gravitated to Vaughn, taking his arm pointedly. She knew that establishing their cover stories was of utmost importance now that the operation had begun. If anyone, from enemy agents to the cab driver, had doubts as to their identity, they risked the mission, and their lives.

Something in her body posture shifted, and suddenly, Sydney stopped being Sydney and turned into Ella Ducat. Acting to her was like a big, vague mathematic formula. You take into account all the little things that make your character who they are, plug it in, add your own twist, and you can find out what your character would do in any circumstance.

So now, like any woman would do when on vacation with her fiancé, Sydney got as close as possible to Vaughn without crossing the line from 'that cute couple' to 'those sex-crazed maniacs'.

Jack glared at them, and his scowl deepened when Vaughn hailed two cabs, claiming that they had too much baggage for one. While this was true, they all knew the real reason he had done it was to be able to spend some time with Sydney without Jack breathing down his neck.

Although, upon reflection of the events on the plane, Vaughn had come to realize just how dangerous it had been for him to confess to her like that. As much as he wanted to be with her, there were too many problems. He couldn't say he loved her if he willingly put her at risk like that for his own selfish reasons. Besides, Sydney had enough burdens as it was. The last thing she needed to deal with was the fact that her CIA handler had a crush on her.

Well, maybe more than a crush.

The point was, if he really loved her, he wouldn't tell her so.

¼

Once Jack and Irina had loaded their bags into their cab, Jack held the door for his "wife" with a painfully forced smile. Being on orders to play husband and wife with Irina was harder than he at first imagined. He had thought it would be simple acting- keeping his anger and bitterness in check and putting on a loving façade, but now he was having different troubles. The anger was not a problem. His fiery rage had subsided in the last twenty years, leaving only a wary resentment. Acting like husband and wife, though, that was a different story. How can it be done without past feelings of love resurfacing? Everything seemed so startlingly real, it was as if someone had set the clock back, and they were Jack and Laura again. Reality and this fantasy were blurring together, and it was going to be a fight to untangle them when the mission was over.

"Sweetheart?" Irina's voice cut through his thoughts, and his wandering mind returned to find his body still standing outside the cab, one hand on the open door. He got in the cab, and gave the driver their destination.

They kept up their appearance of a happily married older couple for the cab driver, a very talkative Hawaiian man. While carrying on the conversation, Irina slid her hand into Jacks under the guise of a loving gesture, but she soon began to tap out a message in morse code with her finger.

_Jack, why this ring?_

**Please review, because I'd like to see who's still reading this fic! You guys are the best, and again, I'm sorry for the wait!**


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